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Psycho Circus: A Collection of Horror
The Southern Tale Spinner bursts from the North Carolina pines with his third straight victory, Psycho Circus! This collection has the tall task of living up to Woolard’s last two books, and it does not disappoint as it punches out vicious themes of love and death. Woolard performs his hallmark feats, showing off high-risk maneuvers with bold grisly delight as he catapults the terror to new heights in ten standout stories. Six beautifully brutal poems slice between the tales. Hardcore highlights capture the essence of the cult phenomenon that is the Southern Tale Spinner. The collection too quickly climaxes with the cruelest, the show stealer, the novelette, Heaven’s Healer from Hell. All the drama, gore, and blood that a transgressive horror fan desires. Emotionally charged, innovative, revolting. Will cut fresh wounds and salt lingering injuries from Woolard’s earlier works. Lives up to every ounce of hype. Another spectacular collection, hardwired to make you feel alive. --Dona Fox, multi-award winning author of Darker Tales from the Den.
- GenresHorror
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 9, 2017
3 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
T.S. Woolard
37 books17 followers T.S. Woolard lives in North Carolina with his wife and four Jack Russell Terriers. He loves sports (Hail to the Redskins), RPG Video Games (The Elder Scrolls, baby),and learning anything new.
For his work, look for Indiana Horror Review 2013, Bones II, Memento Mori, Serial Killers Quattuor & Demonic Possession, all published by James Ward Kirk Fiction.
For his work, look for Indiana Horror Review 2013, Bones II, Memento Mori, Serial Killers Quattuor & Demonic Possession, all published by James Ward Kirk Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 5, 2017
I received a copy of Psycho Circus in exchange for an honest review
When you call a book Psycho Circus, you better deliver something unique, or at least a little weird. I've read a lot of weird books, and I've read a lot of extreme books as well. To describe this one would be a mixture of the two. While it's not a straight up horror collection, it's still pretty damn good. The problem I find with a lot of extreme horror is that it lacks a clear plot, and only wants to beat the reader into submission with its brutality. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I crave a little more from my books.
Woolard is a decent writer that explores the dark side of human nature and these tales aren't for everyone. Quite a few of them are pretty disturbing, but there's a reason for this. It's just the way the stories evolve, and you drift from story to story wondering what's next. The guy has talent, and a way of presenting his stories. As I read Psycho Circus I couldn't help but wonder what inspired these stories, and adding to the darkness is poetry that is clearly influenced by Poe. This is a collection for those that like their fiction dark. There's no other way to describe it, and sure, there's a bit of violence, but there's a reason behind it all. As a collection, it flows well, and the poetry gives it a bit more depth. Woolard is the kind of writer that pulls his influences from a variety of places to create something unique. Horror fiction can be pretty stale so it's good to have a book like this to lure us into the darkness.
If you like your fiction dark, and a little disturbing, this one's for you. He writes like a man possessed either by real, or personal demons, but thankfully, he's writing, and what a writer he is. To review each story would take way way too long, and I like to review these as a whole. How well does it flow? Are there any clunkers? It flows well, and as far as clunkers go, there isn't a bad story in the bunch. This is a decent collection, and shows a writer with immense talent trying to find a fan base. Psycho Circus is a nod to darker fiction which I miss. We don't see a lot of dark fiction anymore, but I have a feeling Woolard is about to change that.
When you call a book Psycho Circus, you better deliver something unique, or at least a little weird. I've read a lot of weird books, and I've read a lot of extreme books as well. To describe this one would be a mixture of the two. While it's not a straight up horror collection, it's still pretty damn good. The problem I find with a lot of extreme horror is that it lacks a clear plot, and only wants to beat the reader into submission with its brutality. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I crave a little more from my books.
Woolard is a decent writer that explores the dark side of human nature and these tales aren't for everyone. Quite a few of them are pretty disturbing, but there's a reason for this. It's just the way the stories evolve, and you drift from story to story wondering what's next. The guy has talent, and a way of presenting his stories. As I read Psycho Circus I couldn't help but wonder what inspired these stories, and adding to the darkness is poetry that is clearly influenced by Poe. This is a collection for those that like their fiction dark. There's no other way to describe it, and sure, there's a bit of violence, but there's a reason behind it all. As a collection, it flows well, and the poetry gives it a bit more depth. Woolard is the kind of writer that pulls his influences from a variety of places to create something unique. Horror fiction can be pretty stale so it's good to have a book like this to lure us into the darkness.
If you like your fiction dark, and a little disturbing, this one's for you. He writes like a man possessed either by real, or personal demons, but thankfully, he's writing, and what a writer he is. To review each story would take way way too long, and I like to review these as a whole. How well does it flow? Are there any clunkers? It flows well, and as far as clunkers go, there isn't a bad story in the bunch. This is a decent collection, and shows a writer with immense talent trying to find a fan base. Psycho Circus is a nod to darker fiction which I miss. We don't see a lot of dark fiction anymore, but I have a feeling Woolard is about to change that.
June 2, 2018
This is not my normal genre however I'm pleased to have read this. I was surprised first off at the short stories by how much I enjoyed them. I'm usually the one getting lost into the story but here the way the words seemed to fall effortlessly onto the page makes you wonder how much harder it is for the author. I saw him being referred to as the Southern Tale Spinner and I have to agree that he didn't disappoint at anytime. I can't wait to read more from him.
March 9, 2020
Another greatly twisted book of horror by The Southern Tale Spinner T. S. Woolard. Mr Woolard has a charm about him he woos you into soft loving romantic tale of love and lust. He whips you into a frenzy and then out comes the most twisted perversed scene of carnage, beyond your comprehension. So horrifying that you have to reread to ensure you have read it correctly, so terrifying you can't believe what has just happened. And you hope it never happens to you. You know the type of story I'm describing to you, the kind that gives you nightmares for days. Makes you turn on all the lights in your house even in the day time.
This book is chucked full of this type of stories and poems. You think they can't get any scarier or bloody or heartbreak or perverted but they do. So ENJOY.
This book is chucked full of this type of stories and poems. You think they can't get any scarier or bloody or heartbreak or perverted but they do. So ENJOY.
August 3, 2022
Too disgusting
There needs to be a warning in the description of this book that the stories can be disgusting. I read the first one but barely got into the second before I couldn't read anymore and I have a very open mind and not much bothers me but this definitely did.
There needs to be a warning in the description of this book that the stories can be disgusting. I read the first one but barely got into the second before I couldn't read anymore and I have a very open mind and not much bothers me but this definitely did.
September 19, 2024
Psycho Circus
This REALLY wasn’t what I was looking for! It was a collection of short stories and poems. Well other than the last story “Heaven’s Healter” that dragged ON and ON and ON and ON until I just felt like quitting mid-way through. It was the only one I didn’t summarize because not long into it I’d lost all interest in it and it because just a blur of spoken words that I was half listening to. All I can tell you is it had to do with a healer who was sick himself. Then his daughter got sick and took his sickness by him eating her dead and decaying skin.
First off the title is DECEPTIVE! I choose this book because I thought it would be about stories about crazy circus’s (or the crazy things that happened at circus’s or carnivals). After just the second story, I had a feeling that not a story in this collection had anything to do with a circus or a carnival, and I was right!
It’s acceptable for horror stories to get “a little messy”. A little blood and gore here. A cut of head and limbs there with an ax or chainsaw. A stab to the gut with a butcher knife. However, some of these stories when into SEXUALY PERVERSE territory. Horror can be disturbing without this and it was a turn off. After stories like “The First Cut” (which is about a man that gets off by luring men to his house to torture by penetrating their stab wounds, and “The Toll” hecause this involved a couple of lewd acts as a test of five people trying “defeat their fears” (which when you read the story *fears* didn’t really fit). A fist? I don’t think… I REALLY wanted to stop reading this but something made me continue to read it.
I was also turned off by the jab at Obama. I’m really not sure why this rubbed me the wrong way but it really did. “That shit in Africa made the 44rth president look like a fool because of his screw up?” But actually “W.W.Y.D” is probably about the only story I could relate to because it was about a zombie that had strong beliefs about not taking a government procedure that was issued and STRONGLY advised that all zombies take to turn them human. He wanted to stay who he was. And there’s a procedure that I’ve found my doctors have strongly advised that people are doing that I feel just as strongly I’m never gonna take as long as I live. So, I’ll give this story 2 points.
Other than that just like in quite a few short stories I’ve read this year, the endings are vague which I’m really not a fan of either. I didn’t really think much of the poems either. I think the only other one I’d give a point to is “Don’t Take Me To the River.” Or certain bits of “Killer Katie,” So, overall this just wasn’t for me but I’ll give it a point for each story that I somewhat could stomach.
Rating: 3 I’m really not sure why this book got such good reviews! I just don’t see it! I didn't do each story. It just wasn't worth it, but I did write them all up. I tried to put them in notes but I don't think it took. What I put them in on Kindle was "Flashcards".
This REALLY wasn’t what I was looking for! It was a collection of short stories and poems. Well other than the last story “Heaven’s Healter” that dragged ON and ON and ON and ON until I just felt like quitting mid-way through. It was the only one I didn’t summarize because not long into it I’d lost all interest in it and it because just a blur of spoken words that I was half listening to. All I can tell you is it had to do with a healer who was sick himself. Then his daughter got sick and took his sickness by him eating her dead and decaying skin.
First off the title is DECEPTIVE! I choose this book because I thought it would be about stories about crazy circus’s (or the crazy things that happened at circus’s or carnivals). After just the second story, I had a feeling that not a story in this collection had anything to do with a circus or a carnival, and I was right!
It’s acceptable for horror stories to get “a little messy”. A little blood and gore here. A cut of head and limbs there with an ax or chainsaw. A stab to the gut with a butcher knife. However, some of these stories when into SEXUALY PERVERSE territory. Horror can be disturbing without this and it was a turn off. After stories like “The First Cut” (which is about a man that gets off by luring men to his house to torture by penetrating their stab wounds, and “The Toll” hecause this involved a couple of lewd acts as a test of five people trying “defeat their fears” (which when you read the story *fears* didn’t really fit). A fist? I don’t think… I REALLY wanted to stop reading this but something made me continue to read it.
I was also turned off by the jab at Obama. I’m really not sure why this rubbed me the wrong way but it really did. “That shit in Africa made the 44rth president look like a fool because of his screw up?” But actually “W.W.Y.D” is probably about the only story I could relate to because it was about a zombie that had strong beliefs about not taking a government procedure that was issued and STRONGLY advised that all zombies take to turn them human. He wanted to stay who he was. And there’s a procedure that I’ve found my doctors have strongly advised that people are doing that I feel just as strongly I’m never gonna take as long as I live. So, I’ll give this story 2 points.
Other than that just like in quite a few short stories I’ve read this year, the endings are vague which I’m really not a fan of either. I didn’t really think much of the poems either. I think the only other one I’d give a point to is “Don’t Take Me To the River.” Or certain bits of “Killer Katie,” So, overall this just wasn’t for me but I’ll give it a point for each story that I somewhat could stomach.
Rating: 3 I’m really not sure why this book got such good reviews! I just don’t see it! I didn't do each story. It just wasn't worth it, but I did write them all up. I tried to put them in notes but I don't think it took. What I put them in on Kindle was "Flashcards".
June 2, 2018
Psycho Circus is not a book that I would normally choose however I recently joined a book club and this was our first read. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found between the pages of this book. The short stories and poems truly blew me away. Almost each of the stories in this book made me think of either the lesson that was hidden in the words or how I would have reacted to the events that played out. I think I thought more about the words written in this book than I do for some books I’ve read that contain one single story. An amazing read by an author that I can’t wait to read more from.
November 6, 2017
When I heard that T.S. Woolard was releasing another collection, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. This one, much like the first, did not disappoint. The stories are interspersed with a variety of poetry of which is all well written and slotted in perfectly and the stories themselves leave you with a little bit of darkness inside.
I had a couple of favourites: Kizzy's Danse, which is the first story, Giving and Heaven's Healer from Hell. They are all great stories that will leave you thinking.
This is a collection you won't want to miss!
I had a couple of favourites: Kizzy's Danse, which is the first story, Giving and Heaven's Healer from Hell. They are all great stories that will leave you thinking.
This is a collection you won't want to miss!
December 11, 2017
Dark....Twisted & a Must Read
I decided to venture out from my normal type of read so i decided to jump into Psycho Circus. This book is a collection of Dark stories with poems placed between which i think flow perfectly. I had to pause thru out the book because it was intense but i couldn't stop reading. T.S. Woolard writing captures you into wanting to keep turning the page. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves Dark Reads and also to those who dont it wont dissapoint.
I decided to venture out from my normal type of read so i decided to jump into Psycho Circus. This book is a collection of Dark stories with poems placed between which i think flow perfectly. I had to pause thru out the book because it was intense but i couldn't stop reading. T.S. Woolard writing captures you into wanting to keep turning the page. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves Dark Reads and also to those who dont it wont dissapoint.
January 20, 2018
Terrifyingly good
This collection of shorts is fabulous. Each is well written and complete yet somehow make me want more. On first read each seems just a well crafted horror story, but with successive readings the undercurrents make their way to surface. The poetry between the stories is beautiful .
This collection of shorts is fabulous. Each is well written and complete yet somehow make me want more. On first read each seems just a well crafted horror story, but with successive readings the undercurrents make their way to surface. The poetry between the stories is beautiful .
November 21, 2020
I am new to reading books by this author.
This book was filled with short stories and poems.
I cannot list a favorite because I loved them all.
The words the author used just captivated me to keep reading.
I cannot wait to read more by this author.
I highly recommend Psycho Circus!!
This book was filled with short stories and poems.
I cannot list a favorite because I loved them all.
The words the author used just captivated me to keep reading.
I cannot wait to read more by this author.
I highly recommend Psycho Circus!!
June 18, 2018
A glimps inside a dark mind
This book is not like any other book I have ever read. It is a collection of random short stories and poems and just random incomplete thoughts. Not really my thing. I would have enjoyed it more with more developed stories.
This book is not like any other book I have ever read. It is a collection of random short stories and poems and just random incomplete thoughts. Not really my thing. I would have enjoyed it more with more developed stories.
June 17, 2019
Great Read
If you like horror type books, I recommend this one. It is a collection of short stories and poems but I really enjoyed reading them. I had to hide my phone so I could get some sleep instead of reading
If you like horror type books, I recommend this one. It is a collection of short stories and poems but I really enjoyed reading them. I had to hide my phone so I could get some sleep instead of reading
January 29, 2018
The Southern Tale Spinner spins readers another round of disturbingly horrofic tales you won't be able to put down.
June 3, 2018
A great collection of unique horror short stories. My first T.S. Woolard book, but definitely not my last.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews